Heart of a Vampire, Book Bundle (Books 1-3)

by Amber Kallyn

  Flames whooshed up, quickly enveloping the pile. He watched until nothing but ashes remained.

  Scooping a small handful, he added it to his pouch, then scattered the rest with his boot, letting the wind disperse them out over the lake.

  Back in the truck, he left the parking lot and drove down the road the way he’d come, back to the crash site.

  He left the demons’ jeep alone, and instead headed for Ashlyn’s black town car. After putting her luggage into the back of the stolen pick-up, he hesitated. He wanted to look through her things.

  As he checked her sedan over once more, he found a bag on the floor of the back seat.

  Her purse.

  And right on top was a ripped sheet of paper.

  Sure enough, as the demons had thought, she was headed for Moss Creek, and her cousin, Jordan MacDougal. Not only would the Master vampire protect his own kin from any and everything, Jordan was the bloody king of the territory.

  His phone rang. Glancing at the number, he answered. “Michaels?”

  “I found the bodies you left me.”

  “How do you figure I had anything to do with it? I could have just stumbled over them.”

  “Because I have three headless corpses, two of them missing their hearts.”

  “And?” The captain couldn’t prosecute Connor, but that didn’t mean he was going to admit anything.

  “I need you back at the scene.” Michael’s voice held a note of urgency, but also excitement.

  He gazed longingly down the road in the direction Ashlyn and the demon half-breed had driven, but duty called. “Give me fifteen.”

  “Just hurry your ass up.”

  The phone clicked in Connor’s ear. He got in the truck and turned back to town, relieved that at least with Jordan, Ashlyn would be protected.

  He just hoped he got there in time to be the one to kill the demon with her, before Jordan did it for him.

  * * *

  When Connor pulled up along the street of the run-down house, he only saw one cop car. Michaels leaned against the driver’s door, arms crossed, staring as Connor got out and headed his way.

  “What did you find?” Connor asked, hoping he could be done with this soon.

  Michaels headed into the house without a backwards glance. Connor followed.

  One of the bedrooms had been converted into part office, part sacrificial chamber. Michaels led him to the desk, and the laptop open on top.

  Connor glanced at the data, then straightened. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “It’s all there,” Michaels replied. “My men are rounding up every name on that list. We have dates, victims, and the way each person participated, as well as any ‘rewards’ they received.”

  “What do you mean, rewards?”

  Michaels clicked open another document, and scrolled down a few pages. Connor read the list.

  August 12, Two sacrifices

  One virgin female, age 16

  One male, age 19

  André Laroche, Master

  Received souls, one heart, eaten fresh

  Bryant Coles, Apprentice

  Half a heart, eaten fresh

  Jeremy Danken, Cultist

  One pint of blood, female body to use

  Connor stopped reading. He got the idea of exactly what the rewards were. How many people had this ‘master’ driven the cult to kill? He scrolled through the file, only looking at dates. How many mutilated bodies had they not found? The list seemed to never end.

  “You’ve only found what, five murder scenes?” he asked.

  Michaels nodded glumly. “We’re hoping to question all the cult members, see how many other bodies we can locate.”

  Connor didn’t think the captain would get very far. The group would most likely be closed lipped. “Good luck.”

  The man took a surprised step backwards. “You’re not staying?”

  “You’ve found who you’re looking for. Besides, interrogation isn’t my style.”

  “You just execute them,” he replied with a tone of censure.

  “Captain, you deal with the humans involved your way. I’ll deal with the demons the only way that works.”

  Michaels swallowed. “Those two with their hearts cut out. They were demons?”

  “Aye.”

  “Is there anything I should... worry about?”

  “They’re dead for good. I’ve taken care of it.”

  Michaels face drained of color, but the man nodded. “And this master demon the files talk about?”

  Connor grinned with predatory intent. “He’s mine.”

  * * *

  An hour before dawn, Ashlyn pulled into the quaint little town of Moss Creek. She didn’t have a clue where Jordan lived, or even how to find him. But she had to do it fast. She hadn’t eaten since leaving the hotel the night before, and with the sun soon to rise, her strength would flee even faster.

  Sean pointed out a two-story wooden building. “Sheriff’s station. They should know where your cousin lives.”

  Glancing at her son, her nerves hummed. If Jordan refused to let them stay, she didn’t know what she’d do. It wouldn’t take long for Laroche to find them once more.

  A shiver itched down her neck at the thought of being captured, of going through the demon’s hellish tortures so that he could nibble her soul away, and with it, take her powers for a short time.

  She pulled up to the sheriff’s station and got out of the car. As Sean headed to her side, she shook the trepidation away and headed up the stairs.

  As she reached for the knob, the door swung open. A woman froze, halfway out. Long black hair framed her pale face. Her green eyes flashed with a hint of red.

  She bared her teeth, tipped canines slowly extended. “What do you want here?” Her voice was soft, musical, with an edge of steel beneath it.

  Taking a step back, Ashlyn replied, “None of your business.”

  The woman glanced from her to Sean, then called, “Shane, darling. There’s something you need to come see.” Her voice hardened as she added, “Now.”

  Boot steps headed towards the door. A man in a sheriff’s uniform stepped up behind the vampire, laying his hands on her shoulders.

  He was tall, with a sharply angular face and long dark hair. On the side he’d braided small, colorful feathers into it. “What is it?” he asked.

  Before the woman could answer, his gaze narrowed on Ashlyn and he scowled. “Rogues.” He pushed the woman behind him.

  Ashlyn studied him, but he wasn’t a vampire.

  He raised his hands and tiny sparks of light flashed in the air around them.

  “Shaman. But you’re more, I can feel it,” she said.

  “Why are you in Moss Creek?” the sheriff asked.

  “I’m looking for my cousin.”

  The woman pushed her way up beside the sheriff. “Who would that be?”

  “Jordan MacDougal,” she replied cautiously.

  The two glanced at each other, obviously communicating silently, then Shane took a step back and waved for Ashlyn and Sean to come in.

  She shook her head. “If you’d just tell me where he is, we’ll be on our way.”

  The woman bared her fangs. “Jordan only has one cousin, and he’s down in the city right now.”

  Straightening, Ashlyn stared at the woman. “While Connor may be in the city, Jordan also has me and my son.”

  The woman blinked, taking a closer look at Sean.

  Ashlyn inwardly cursed herself for drawing attention to him.

  The woman growled, a sound deep in her chest. “Demon,” she whispered, lunging.

  Sean straightened, ready to face her down.

  Ashlyn jumped between them. The vampire slammed into her, knocking the air from her lungs. She grabbed the woman’s arm and flung her back towards the sheriff. “You will not touch him.”

  She quickly regained her balance. “He is a demon half-breed.”

  Ashlyn sent Sean a glance, reminding him not to
react. They would see it as an attack. She softened her voice, an unintentional note of pleading entering. “He is my son.”

  The sheriff was still studying Sean. “Council law dictates all half-breeds are to be put to death on sight.”

  “You will not touch him,” she repeated.

  She would fight them both if she must. The woman shouldn’t be much of a problem. Ashlyn’s age, and so her strength, was far greater. Or would be if she’d eaten recently. The sheriff, she couldn’t quite place. There was something familiar about him, in addition to his connection with the earth spirits. Something which warned her to be cautious.

  It didn’t matter. She could at least stop them long enough to let Sean get away.

  The woman’s eyes softened the slightest bit, the red fading. “Let Jordan deal with it.”

  The sheriff shot her a glance, then nodded in agreement. “If you are who you say, then it is Jordan’s decision.”

  The woman stepped outside. “Come. I’ll lead you to his home.”

  She headed for a bright red sports car, tossing the stolen beater a sneering glance.

  Ashlyn kept her senses attuned to the sheriff behind her as she and Sean headed back to the car. The man never moved, but his stare burned into Ashlyn’s neck as he watched them go.

  In the car, she followed the woman back out of town the way they’d come.

  “What was the sheriff?” Sean asked.

  “Shaman.”

  “Like you?”

  “Sort of. His tie to the earth comes from a Native American spirituality. Mine is just as old, but a little different.”

  The red car turned off the highway.

  Sean said, “But he’s more. His power almost feels like a Judge.”

  They drove up a curving, tree-lined road. Soon, the trees parted and Ashlyn gasped.

  “What is it?” Sean asked.

  She stared at the castle, feeling as if she’d been transported back in time. Her throat burned with memories, a lump catching and making her voice warble as she said, “It’s exactly as I remember.”

  Sean studied the towering stone structure. “Wow.”

  “Yeah. Something like that.”

  The woman parked in front of a pair of wide, wooden doors, then got out or her car and leaned against the hood, waiting for them. Ashlyn left their car running. She wanted to flee while there was a chance, because once she entered the castle, she would be putting her trust in Jordan.

  She didn’t know how he’d changed in the millennium since she’d last seen him. He could be a hard man, without a care for others.

  The woman waved impatiently and Sean got out, taking the decision from Ashlyn.

  She hurried to her son’s side, keeping herself between him and the vampire.

  The woman glanced over before they entered the castle. “I’m Niki by the way.”

  “Ashlyn MacDougal.”

  Niki didn’t respond as she continued into a huge entryway. Inside, the resemblance to Ashlyn’s childhood home abruptly ended. The place was full of marble and wood.

  A giant of a man came out of a room on the right. “Niki. Need to see Jordan?” His gaze fell on Ashlyn and ran over her, not sexually, but as if he were searching for weapons. Then he locked onto Sean.

  She stepped forward, but Niki was already laying a hand on the man’s arm. “Brandon. Call Jordan.”

  The man’s eyes were already turning red, his fangs extending as his fists bunched.

  Niki slapped his arm, leaving a red handprint. Brandon shook himself and glanced back at her.

  “Call Jordan,” she repeated.

  He nodded, heading back into the room on the right. A few minutes later, a young woman bounced down the sweeping staircase. In a tank top and cut-off jeans, with shoulder length hair of blonde and pink stripes, she looked out of place in the elegant entryway.

  She glanced at Niki and a wide smile brightened her entire face. “What’re you doing here?” She raced forward and grabbed Niki in a hug.

  Before the vampire could even twitch, the woman turned to Ashlyn and Sean.

  Preparing for another fight for her son, Ashlyn braced herself.

  The woman grinned at them both. “Visitors, awesome.” She winked at Niki. “Jordan will be right down. He’s getting dressed.”

  “I need to get home, so I’ll leave them with you, Dalia.” Niki turned and strode out.

  Ashlyn didn’t know why she wanted the woman to stay. Perhaps because she was the only familiar face?

  She didn’t have time to figure it out. Dalia took her hand, shaking it exuberantly. “We weren’t expecting anyone, so had already gone to bed. I’m Dalia, obviously.”

  Bed? As in together? Ashlyn couldn’t picture a woman more unsuited to the uptight, always serious Jordan she’d once known.

  “My name is—” she was cut off as Jordan’s voice boomed from the first landing of the stairs.

  “Ashlyn? Is that really you?” He rushed down, crossing the distance in great strides. Reaching her side, he tipped her chin up, staring into her face.

  Chapter Five

  “Hello, Jordan. It’s been a while,” Ashlyn replied, her heart beating fast as her throat tightened with unexpected emotion.

  He continued to stare at her as if she was a ghost, risen from the dead. “Aye. A bit.”

  Jordan was taller, his shoulders wider, than she remembered, but his blond hair and blue eyes were the same. The slight grin though, made him seem softer, as if time had been kind. He glanced behind her at Sean. His face hardened, eyes narrowing. “Half-breed.”

  Ashlyn laid a hand on his forearm. “My son.”

  Jordan stepped around her to face Sean. When Ashlyn tried to move between them, he stopped her. “Both of you, come.”

  She stiffened.

  Jordan added, “To my receiving chamber, for some privacy.”

  Vampires peeked out of doorways, staring at her and Sean as they followed down a wide hall and into a room filled with mementos from the past.

  Trying to hide her fear, she studied the miniature paintings, the faces nearly worn away, yet recognizable none-the-less.

  Jordan started a fire, then motioned for her and Sean to sit across from Dalia. He watched them for a moment. “When is the last time you ate?”

  “Last night,” she replied, fidgeting under the intensity of his stare.

  Dalia crossed to Jordan. Rising up on her toes, she kissed the corner of his mouth. “I’ll get them something.”

  Jordan’s eyes shone, softening. “Thank you, darling.”

  As she left the room, his gaze turned back to Sean. “Tell me about him.”

  “When the clan was attacked,” she swallowed, rubbing her hands together, “It turns out I was pregnant.”

  Jordan raised a brow. “By who?”

  She shrugged.

  He looked Sean over, closer this time. “Ah.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she replied.

  Jordan rubbed his chin. “Interesting.”

  Not so much to her, not when her son was despised by every Arcaine creature who saw him.

  Jordan watched them both. “He is nearly as old as we, yet still controls his own mind.”

  “He is not crazed,” she replied.

  Her son was different from most half-breeds, able to control his actions, emotions, though both vampire and demon warred inside him.

  “I won’t go postal, is what my mother means,” Sean said, aggravation in his voice.

  Jordan’s brow rose.

  The door opened and Dalia entered, carrying a huge silver tray. She set it on the table between Ashlyn and Sean, then lifted the lid. Meats, cheeses and breads covered the platter. On each side, two large mugs of warm blood waited.

  “Eat,” she said, then sat on the arm of Jordan’s chair.

  Minutes of silence passed while Ashlyn and Sean devoured the food. Afterwards, Ashlyn leaned back in her chair, welcoming the strength flowing back. Her mind was clearer, and she knew, if it came to a
fight, she and her son might have a small chance.

  Jordan’s gaze moved from Sean to her. “Why are you here?”

  She rubbed her hands together, then placed them on the tops of her thighs. Pushing back the nerves, she sat straighter. Lifting her head high, she prepared to ask, to beg if necessary. “We need help.”

  His eyes darkened. “Where have you been all these years?”

  Dalia leaned closer, rubbing his shoulder. “Do not mistake her for your sister.”

  Ashlyn blinked. “Fionah is alive too?”

  “Nay,” Jordan replied. “No longer. Not since we learned it was she who betrayed our clan.”

  “That’s not possible,” Ashlyn whispered, shaking her head. Not the sweet, if slightly strange, girl she remembered.

  “And now you appear from the dead. So I ask again. Where have you been?”

  She fisted her hands against her thighs. “For the first five centuries I was held in the demon’s dungeon.” She didn’t add the tortures she’d experienced. She didn’t want his pity, just his help. “When I managed to escape with Sean, we ran as far as we could. But he eventually found us, just as he did yet again yesterday.”

  Dalia leaned into Jordan’s side, whispering something in his ear. His eyes widened, then he shook his head.

  “What do you wish of me?” he asked.

  Taking a deep breath, Ashlyn replied, “Somehow, Laroche has our pictures all over the news, claiming we’re terrorists. He and his demons are watching the airport, busses, trains, as well as the borders.”

  “How do you know?” Dalia asked, her voice filled with kindness.

  Ashlyn glanced at her, then froze, captivated by the woman’s hazel eyes. She felt like she was being drawn into a spiral-like fog. Dalia blinked, and the feeling disappeared.

  “I’m sorry, what?” Ashlyn asked.

  Sean leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “We were heading to the airport when we heard the news. My mom didn’t want to come to you,” he rebuked Jordan. “But she will do anything to keep me safe.”

  Ashlyn shushed Sean, but he just stared at her.

  With a sigh, she turned back to Jordan. “Will you help us get out of Arizona? After that, we’ll be fine on our own.”

  Jordan stood, pushing Dalia’s hand away as she tried to stop him. “You want me to help you, a person I no longer know, and a half-breed I should have killed on sight, to escape a demon hunting you?”